2016 Holden Colorado Z71 new car review

There's more luxury and refinement for Holden's flagship ute.

EXPERT RATING

STARTING PRICE

$57,190

BASIC SPEC

2016 Holden Colorado Z71 new car review

18 Nov 2016Stephen Ottley

It's no secret that Australians love utes.

One-tonne haulers such as the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton are consistently among the top selling vehicles each month. That means the ute is competing with SUVs for those that want a large, family friendly car with plenty of capability to travel off-road or to the work site.

As a result, the competition between the various ute makers is now focused as much on on-road manners and quiet, well-appointed interiors as it is on payload and towing capacity.

Which is where the new Holden Colorado comes in. It has struggled to match the consistent highs of its rivals mentioned above, so Holden has worked hard on improving the way the Colorado behaves in urban environments for this 2017 model.

We're testing the top-of-the-range Z71 model, which is as well-appointed as you'd expect to find any modern SUV. So does the Colorado have what it takes to compete with SUVs and still retain its workhorse character?

What do you get?

Holden has a wide range of options for the Colorado, from 4x2 and 4x4 transmissions as well as five body styles (single cab chassis, space cab chassis and space cab pickup, dual cab chassis and dual cab pickup), in addition to four trim lines - LS, LT, LTZ and Z71.

As the pinnacle of the range, the Z71 is loaded with all the gear Holden can throw at the Colorado. Outside there are 18-inch alloy wheels, a sail plane sports bar and side rails with 'Z71' graphics, a soft tonneau cover, 'Z71' hood decals, roof rails and black front grille, door handles, mirrors and side mouldings.

Inside you get 'Z71' embroidered leather-appointed heated front seats, climate control air-conditioning, cruise control, auto lights and wipers, a seven-speaker sound system and Holden's MyLink infotainment system that includes an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen and incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio and navigation.

But Holden needs plenty of gear to justify the price tag. The range may start at $28,640 for the LS single cab chassis but the Z71 is priced from $54,990 (plus on-road costs) for the manual; the automatic adds $2200.

What's inside?

While it costs the same as a similar sized SUV, the Z71's hard-working origins are evident in the cabin.

The presentation is nice and the layout of the infotainment buttons are easy to use, but the materials don't feel as premium as you'd expect in an SUV. There's no reach adjustment for the steering, and only minimal height to play with, so getting the ideal driving position isn't easy.

The leather-appointed seats look nice enough but feel hard wearing and don't offer much in the way of support.

But it is spacious for a dual cab ute, with decent room in the rear for adult passengers; plus rear air-con vents (which not all passenger cars can boast).

The boot is obviously larger than your average SUV, with a payload of 1000kg for the manual and 1007kg for the auto-equipped models. The tray measures 1484mm long and 1534mm wide.

Towing capacity is rated at 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked.

One worrying element from our test of both the Z71 and another new Colorado model is Holden's decision to have the windows automatically drop slightly whenever you open the door. The idea is to reduce cabin pressure to make the doors easier to shut. However, during our week long test of the Z71 there were several occasions where the window didn't automatically close as it should, which could see the cabin saturated in a shower if you didn't notice.

The Colorado is covered by Holden's capped price servicing scheme that requires maintenance every nine months/15,000km. Over the first three years it will cost $1396 to service, thanks to relatively affordable $349 charges each visit.

Under the bonnet

Holden has retained the same 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine and it still produces 147kW of power and 500Nm of torque. However, Holden has worked to improve the engine's driveability and refinement.

There are new engine and transmission mounts that help reduce vibrations and changes to the automatic gearbox that reduce flaring from the powertrain.

It also gets a new diesel particulate filter that means the engine now meets Euro5 emissions regulations.

Overall the Colorado feels a step ahead of the old model, with a smoother power delivery in our automatic equipped test car. The four-cylinder has plenty of pulling power to get the Colorado moving briskly.

Increased insulation to the cabin cuts noise too, but only slightly with the gruff note of the diesel still a constant background presence.

The gearbox has a tendency to move to the highest possible ratio as quickly as possible, in the name of fuel efficiency, but that makes it slow to react when you need a sudden burst of acceleration.

Fuel economy is rated at 7.9-litres per 100km which isn't class leading but undercuts several key rivals, including the Ranger and Mazda BT-50.

On the road

Using feedback from Australian owners, Holden worked with international GM colleagues to tailor the Colorado to our local conditions.

One of the biggest changes for this mid-life update is new electric power steering. It is a big improvement over the previous model, offering better response to inputs and feeling more direct. It still isn't as nicely resolved as you'd find in an SUV but it feels closer than before.

The suspension has also been thoroughly re-worked with major changes to the hardware (new shocks and front stabiliser bar) as well as the tuning.

A ute will never feel as composed and responsive as an SUV because of its need to carry big loads in the tray, as well as still being a capable off-roader. But the changes to the Colorado are another improvement, as the ride is more compliant and fidgets less over bumps when unladen.

But if you're buying a Colorado Z71 to replace an SUV be prepared because it still doesn't ride and handle with the same on-road manners as the modern family high-riding wagon.

Verdict

The original ute was designed to be capable of going to church on Sunday and taking animals to market on Monday; combining car-like comfort with the hard-working nature of a commercial vehicle.

Holden wants to call the updated Colorado a 'pickup truck' but it still does what you expect from a ute.

The changes to improve refinement from both the engine and inside the cabin are largely successful. However, it still retains the hardcore capability of a one-tonne ute.

But that also comes with some rough edges - the interior finish and on-road dynamics are two key areas. Because of that it still can't match its peers such as the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok for that blend of refinement and ruggedness.

Still, it is a step forward for Holden and explains why the ute remains so popular in Australia.